Coursework

1. OCR Media Studies – AS Level
Unit G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media
Name: Lance
Candidate Number: 6616
Center Name: St. Paul’s Catholic College
Center Number: 64770
Music Magazine – Production
Preliminary Task Progression and Log Book

2. Preliminary Task
Progression – Front Cover

3. To begin with I used a blank front cover template, and I thought
it would be a good idea to use the schools colours as my colour
scheme, which are maroon and blue. I then decided to make
the background maroon because it’s a bright vibrant colour
and it stands out as you can see.
The next step, was to create a unique masthead for my school
magazine and my target audience were secondary school
students jumping the barrier from year 11 into year 12. So an
appropriate masthead would be the breakthrough, I made
the font look like a typical college poster and the font colour
blue because that’s one of our school colours.

4. I started to put the codes and conventions that are found in a
magazine, such as the barcode, web-address, price, date, issue
and magazine logo. This brought the magazine to life and made
it look like a real magazine. I made the colour of the font white
because if a student was going to buy the magazine the first
they would for is the price, so I wanted to make it stand out
and white was the right colour for me to use.
When taking the image for the front cover, I thought long and
hard because to make a good magazine page the quality and
meaning of the image plays a big role. The image you see
above connotes the meaning of the masthead, the student is
breaking through the barrier from year 11 and year 12. Then
I added a headline which also tied into the main image. The
student is holding book which will determine his future,
depending upon how much he learns.

5. As you can see now, after I added more codes and conventions, it
began to look more like a magazine. I put cover lines that related
to the purpose of the magazine and this was the original finished
product, however I made some adjust after some feedback.
When I thought that I finished my front cover, I asked on of my
peers for any improvements and they said that they struggled to
read the cover lines on the page. I then thought I needed to make the
font clearer, so I searched for a more rich font, that would
still look appropriate and this was my final product.

6. Preliminary Task
Progression – Contents Page

7. I started with a blank canvas just like the front cover and
it was easier to construct the contents page because
all I had to do was copy and past conventions from my
front cover that build the foundation for magazine
page.
To be consistent I made sure a reader would recognise
The magazines identity, so I copied and pasted the
Masthead

8. I carried on adding conventions to the page
and tried make it look more like a contents
page.
I placed school related stories that I thought students
would be interested in if they were to read the
magazine

9. I took a pic that I thought related to one of the cover lines,
Just tot make the magazine stand out. The magazine,
Facebook logo and web address were copied from front cover
Which saved time for to work on other conventions.
I started with a blank canvas just like the front cover and
it was easier to construct the contents page because
all I had to do was copy and past conventions from my
front cover that build the foundation for magazine
page.

10. These are the most of different types of
styles involved with this genre:
Bounce
East Coast Rap
Gangsta Rap
Hardcore Rap
Hip-Hop
Latin Rap
Old School Rap
Rap
Underground Rap
West Coast Rap
Genre Research
Genre Research
Hip Hop, R&B and Rap are musical genres closely
associated with each other. Hip hop music takes its
roots from Jamaican reggae and dancehall music that
was quite popular in the late 1960s. It was mainly
originated in Jamaica and was later spread to America
and much later all over the world.
Some of the well known artists who
made it famous in this genre:
Grandmaster Flash, LL Cool J, A Tribe
Called Quest, Run DMC, Tupac Shakur,
Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg and Dr.
Dre.
This genre of music has been growing
for decades and continues to grow, as
years pass by new artists come with a
unique style that inspires all the other
artists and the process carries on.
There are many
different ways to
access the latest
music and gossip,
magazines are not the
only way anymore.
People prefer to find
their information
electronically, using
technology such as
phones and
computers etc..

11. Source magazine – Genre research
The source magazine is based around the hip-hop music genre in
America, other topics like politics and culture are included in the
magazine to widen the magazines target audience. Two Harvard
students in America founded Source magazine in 1988; they were
musically driven so they felt the need to promote their love for music by
praising the hip-hop genre. The magazine is not just known for
publishing music every mouth, they have put their stamp in the industry
as they are the worlds second largest rap periodical.

12. Why The Source Magazine?
The reason why I chose Source magazine as my starting point, is
because they are a well known magazine and have been around
for a long period of time, I’ve been researching about them, and
deconstructing a few of their magazines, to understand how to
produce my own rap magazine, that can compete with the
established magazines.
Source magazine is also very diverse, they don’t just focus on
music. They also inform and entertain their readers, through the
latest fashion, news and politics. Therefore analysing their
magazine front covers will give me an insight on constructing, a
well structured magazine page, which will keep readers
interested.

13. Masthead –
• Bold
• Attractive
• Unique
The red background behind
the masthead is attractive, it
attracts the audiences
attention when they first see
it. It’s unique because it
suggests what the magazine
aims to do, which is to be a
‘Source’ of entertainment to
its readers. The masthead
also has a telescope, to
re-enforce the fact that
the magazine is a source,
which represents some
‘difference’ because
established magazines aren’t
known to do this.
Main Image –
The main image is very exclusive,
the artist on cover is making
his first entrance into the music
Industry, and fans want to
know more about him, so The
Source magazine put him on
the cover to keep the readers
Attentive, using ‘star appeal’
(Richard Dyer). It’s a very exotic
picture, as Meek Mill (artist)
salutes to his success.
Convergence –
Gives the reader a variation of ways to
access the magazine and interact.
Headline –
The headline is
huge and
recognisable, so
the reader can
tell what exactly
is going to be featured
in the magazine. It’s also
next to the artist that
related to the headline.
which acts as a ‘signifier’
(Ferdinand De Saussure).
Story Separation –
This divides the stories that
are in the magazine, which
is what well established
magazines do, for example
XXL.
Price
£3.95
Barcode
Established Magazine for my Research

14. The target audience for The Source magazine can be denoted as 15 to 29 year
years olds, in middle class (Hartley) because of the fact the magazine is £3.95
(in pounds), a reader of an lower class might not be willing pay that much for
a magazine. The reason why 15 to 25 year olds would appeal to this magazine
is, because they’re still young and looking for ways to fit into society by
gaining confidence through knowing the latest music, they would conform to
being an audience with ‘esteem’ (Maslow) because they need reassurance in
knowing that they are constantly up to date the latest music and albums, it
offers a sense of security.
From the research completed into this media product, I think that one of the
magazines USP’s is the the annual man/woman of the year award and rookie
of the year award that the magazine hosts. If a artist has been creating a buzz
throughout the year, they end up on the cover of The Source Magazines front
cover and the newest artist on demand also gets on the cover. This is very
unique because no other magazine does this and the ‘star appeal’ (Richard
Dyer), keeps the magazines readers loyal as they will stay tuned all year long
to find out if their favourite artist has got an award.
Magazine USP/Target Audience

15. Publisher research
http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/Q
http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/brands/q
L.Londell McMillian is the publisher for The Source
magazine. He graduated from Brooklyn Technical High
School in 1983 and received his undergraduate degree
from Cornell University, where he was a Quill and
Dagger member, honors graduate, and Academic
All-American mentioned football player. McMillan was
a faculty member with the Practicing Law Institute;
lecturer and featured case study subject of the Harvard
Business School. He also has been a guest and
commentator on the The Oprah Winfrey Show.

16. I looked at other magazine genres
before I decided on the
genre that I wanted to do.
I analysed four other genres, to make
sure I made the right decision.

17. Genre: Rock magazine
Similarly to The
Source Magazine,
the main image is
very exotic and
relates to the genre
of music. This is a
‘signifier’ (Ferdinand
De Saussure) that
genre is very raw,
and denotes dark
emotions.
Barcode
Cover lines
Puff promotion.
The magazines
readers have a
chance of winning
a PlayStation 3
Headline is
positioned to the
left of the
magazine, which
what most
successful
magazines do.
Price - £2.99
There is a lot of
information on
rock front covers,
they give their
readers plenty of
Information.

18. Genre: RnB magazine
A neat coordinated
magazine, not too
much information.
It’s simple but
effective
Headline – this time
it’s in the centre of
the magazine, draws
the reader attention
because its yellow
and bold
The masthead is
white and stands
out. It’s also unique
because it has bright
colours inside the
letters. This is not a
coincidence because
red, blue and yellow
are the colours that
people appeal to the
most.
Main image is
massive and covers
most of the cover

19. Genre: Pop magazine
Just like Source
Magazine, this
magazine has a icon
in it’s masthead, this
good for brand
awareness.
All the magazines
that I have analysed
seem to use ‘star
appeal’. This is the
norm within music
magazines, and
specifically in this
one it is Rihanna.
Who is considered
the queen of pop.
The magazine just
doesn't have music
on the front cover, it
also has fashion tips
for women, on what
to wear this spring.
It’s target audience
are mainly females
because there are
plenty of attractive
woman on the front
cover, this can be
objectified as the
‘male gaze’ (Laura
Mulvely).
Cover lines
Barcode

20. Genre: Classical magazine
Barcode
Price - £4.98 Date
Cover lines, that
inform the audience
on what’s going to
be featured in the
magazine.
Very clear overall
layout of the
magazine, much like
the Billbord front
cover, very simple
but effective.
Huge masthead that
attracts the readers
attention straight
away. There is also
some ‘difference’
(Steve Neale)
because not a lot of
magazines have their
masthead, the same
as the genre of
music.
Headline is positioned
at the bottom left this
time. Slightly different
from the other
magazines. Music
magazines usually
contain a sub-headline.

21. My Chosen Genre Of Magazine
I chose to create a Hip/Hop magazine because I can relate to the genre, I listen to Hip/Hop music
myself so it should make it easier to produce a magazine, as I already have pre knowledge on the
genre. Although I love Hip/Hop, I knew it was going to be difficult because the leading magazines in
this genre have a unique simple layout, within their magazines and I knew it was going to be a
challenge for me to replicate this, however I was ready to face what was coming my way.
XXL was my chosen magazine of inspiration because it’s such a well recognised magazine, not to
mention that it’s the most popular and the the most read magazine in the genre of Hip/Hop.
So by using the magazine as my ways of inspiration, hopefully my product will be at a
similar standard, if not the same.
There were other magazines of the genre that I used to guide me in the right path. Magazines
such as Vibe, Scratch and TheSource. I noticed that these magazines had a few ‘similarities’
(Steve Neal).
As you can see red, black and white are frequently
used used colours in this genre is magazine, which is an
example of ‘repetition’ (Steve Neale).

22. Conventions Of A XXL: Front Cover
XXL is a monthly
magazines devoted
to releasing issues
on new music and
on going events in
the Hip/Hop
community. They
usually have black
male artist on their
front cover, which
is a representation
of their target
audience
Not much
information on the
cover lines
Masthead
Headline is very
noticeable, it’s ‘star
appeal’ because
Chris Brown is a
well known artist in
the Hip/Hop genre
The chains and
rings on his hand
are associated
with the Hip/Hop
genre The main image
has strong
connotations of
what the artist is
going through, he
is clearly having a
hard time
adjusting to fame

23. Conventions Of A XXL: Contents Page
XXL normally has
two contents
pages, which is a
‘difference’ (Steve
Neale) from every
other magazine
The A-side focuses
on main stories
related to the
genre.
The B-side
concentrates more
on sub stories, e.g.
fashion and gossip,
within the genre.
The A-side has one
main image,
usually the artist
featured on the
front cover
There is a quote
from the artist
Date
B-side has eye
candy, the target
audience for this
magazine are
males, attractive
women on the
page for the males
pleasure, ‘female
gaze’ (Laura
Mulvely)
XXL logo
Photo credits
Editor’s letter
Page number, web
address and issue
number
Use a plain
background on
their contents
page, to focus
more on the
information

24. Conventions Of A XXL: Double Page
Spread
The artists
located in the
main image are
related to the
genre, this tells
you the
magazine is
Hip/Hop one.
As you can see
there is a lot of
swearing and
slang words
included in the
quote. The
language is
informal.
Which denotes
the type of
audience that
read the
magazine, are
likely to speak
the same way.
Web address
Page number
The interview is not that long
but there is no differentiation
between the interviewee and
the interviewer
Again the
background
on the image
is very plain
and simple, no
bright colours
at all.
The layout of the
page is not too
complicated. It’s
nice for the reader
to read.

25. The target audience XXL magazine can be denoted as African American males, with a
middle class background, aged between 15 and 29 (Hartley). This is because 78% of their
readers are male and 67% are black and they would not necessarily target anyone out of
that age range. Anyone below the age of 15 may not not find Hip/Hop music interesting,
usually children below 15 are into games and toys. Adults over the age of 29 still might
enjoy listening to Hip/Hop music but its not something they would class as a hobby. So I
think that people between the ages 15 and 29 are appropriate. They would conform to
being ‘social climbers’ (Maslow) as the magazine offers a lot of fashion adverts, usually by
artists who have their own clothing lines, for instance Drake. Meaning that the readers will
know the latest fashion and buy clothes before anyone else does. XXL gives out a variety of
information, in return readers are ‘informed and educated’ (Katz) on exclusive news that
someone who doesn't’ read the magazine wouldn't’t know
From the research completed into this media product, I think the USP is the extra
information they give to their readers, on the Hip/Hop culture. For example, they don’t just
give information on the latest music, they have other ways of entertaining their target
audience, they talk about the origin of Hip/Hip (California). This is a ‘difference’ (Steve Neal)
most music magazines just focus on interviews and reviews but they don’t inform their
audiences about the actual genre of music. XXL are also known for having eye opening
front covers, staring the best artists in the business. Their main images, are predominantly
main images or mid shots, looking straight at the camera. This is a use of direct address,
making the reader feel like what ever is featured in the magazine, is for them. It also
attracts a bigger audience because more and more people will want to find out about their
favourable artist. ‘Star appeal’ (Richard Dyer)

26. Publisher research
XXL is published by Harris Productions
11 issues are released every year
The magazines target
audience are males
between the ages 15
and 29 (Hartley), which
is reflected by the
Price of the magazine.
XXL and The Source
Magazine are the most
Read magazines in the
Genre of Hip/Hop.
XXL has branched out
To have many other
Magazines such as
Scratch Magazine, Hip
Hop Soul and Eye
Candy.
XXL magazine was established
in 1997 by a former Source
magazine employee, who made
the Magazine in a similar style.